


Til Death Do Us Part

by crankyoldman



Category: Final Fantasy IV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-01-25
Packaged: 2017-10-30 03:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/327165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crankyoldman/pseuds/crankyoldman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Cecil dies, Rosa marries Kain. After all, he loved her, and Baron needed a king. But things are never quite that simple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Til Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seventhe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhe/gifts), [drakonlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drakonlily/gifts), [illuminedcraft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/illuminedcraft/gifts).



Rosa knew that the second time would be different. The fact that it was a second time at all was what made it strange enough, but were there a number of times a person did this sort of thing that made it alright?

But here she was, marrying Kain, because Cecil had been taken from them.

It hadn't been a rash decision. It had taken nearly a year of mourning--for both of them--to decide to do this. Baron would be unstable as long as its Queen remained without a King, and the suitors  
at her door had only made her feel lost, _aimless_.

And Kain had always been there. Kain had always loved her. She'd always known that, in some ways, and he'd always been patient. Maybe what she felt for him was love too. Maybe Cecil would have wanted this.

She wanted so badly to ask him, _can we replace you with each other?_ But mausoleums didn't respond back to questions from white mages, no matter how powerful. She couldn't raise the actual dead.

"It is good to see you wearing white again," Kain said, ever the constant shadow at her back. Maybe it did provide some comfort, when faced with her previous husband's grave to have her soon to be husband paying respects with her on the morning of their wedding.

"You're going to have to remove that helmet for the ceremony, you realize." She smiled, because she had promised herself--promised _him_ \--that there would be no more tears.

"It's a habit. I'm sorry."

Rosa might be able to convince him to forgo it completely, as a King, as most helms reminded her of things better left buried. One step at a time, of course.

His grip was strong as they walked out of the burial grounds, and she only looked back once, just one more time to see if Cecil's ghost was waving them on.

\---

It took them a long time to get used to sleeping in the same bed. There was a part of her that almost asked Kain if he would be her husband much as he had been her friend, but Cecil had died too soon for her to produce an heir. Eventually they would have to breach boundaries that had only been pushed against once before.

"The Counts are imbeciles," he said as he entered their chamber, his ever-present helm still on as he removed his shoulder armor. The men in her life were forever shielding themselves, it seemed.

"Well it's over now, right?"

At first she had been in on the meetings, as she had always been more of a noble than Kain and Cecil both, but more and more she found herself outside the council doors. More time with the mages was good--and there were ever so many girls and a few boys that had wanted to learn the ways of white magic due to stories about her--but Rosa had to wonder if she was missing something important.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when he finally removed his helm, setting it on the table near the bed. Dragoon helms were works of art, for certain, but she still couldn't abide not being able to see eyes when she spoke to him.

"Yes, my love, it is."

Rosa shifted so that he could lay next to her, resting his head on the place between the top of her shoulder and her breast. She was starting to see how quickly he was aging, a slight thinness in the hair at the crown of his head, and lines that didn't go away in the rare times he relaxed.

Rosa bit her lip and intertwined her fingers with his. "Maybe it's time we try..."

Kain got the hint very quickly. He had been actively courting her, despite the fact they were already married; the right flowers, the right poetry even. She could see where a few of Cecil's less than perfect executions had come from that Kain pulled off flawlessly. Rosa should have considered herself lucky that such a man loved her, and wanted her as badly as he did.

She closed her eyes as his lips reached her neck, telling herself to stay present, not _compare_. His lips were dry and his hands obviously slow to catch up with his mind. Rosa found the hesitance to be something that she could potentially enjoy, something _human_ in the middle of such chivalric courtship.

She had made to wrap a leg around him when he pulled her hands above her head. It felt _wrong_ like a punch to the gut or a slap to the face--

_He is too weak, he will never reach you. I hope you enjoy the pedestal they have put you on, because you are going to die on it._

"S-stop. I'm sorry, I'm... I'm not ready."

Rosa couldn't meet his eyes.

\---

They had been married for only four months when Rosa realized that something else was wrong with Kain besides mere intimacy issues.

Maybe she had been too wrapped up in her own sadness to argue when he would take nearly all of the governing meetings without her, telling her she didn't have to worry about a thing. Rosa might not have known at all that Baron was on the brink of war if not for a couple things she had heard around the castle.

For the first time in a long time, Rosa felt angry about something. And what a sight it must have been to the gossipers, to see the Queen burst into the council chambers with her mage robes still on, a grim expression on her face.

"Were you ever going to tell me?!"

Kain was alone with the current captain of the Dragoons, their helms only seemed to make her angrier.

"Have I upset you, love?"

"I'm _Queen_ of this country, Kain. I also have a say in its running. And I will not have us go to war."

He remained impenetrable and quiet, just as he had always been. The very ideal of Baronian men... and it made her want to hit something.

"I should go," the captain said, his face shadowed. Rosa imagined that he looked afraid, if only to give herself some satisfaction in a reaction.

"I don't want excuses, Kain. I want the truth."

Kain sighed and stood up. "I didn't want to worry you."

"That doesn't _help._ I'm not some delicate thing that constantly needs protection." Of course Cecil had acted that way at first. It had required some gentle but forceful reminders that white mages were meant for support in _battle_ and that she had become one not because of the fashion choices. And she was starting to grew weary of giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"I too was raised a noble, and I am trying to defend this country's pride before it gets swallowed up!"

_Have you ever forgiven him, really?_ Rosa swallowed her personal feelings, and realized that all these months, she hadn't been thinking of Baron. That all stopped now.

"Pride? We were tricked into nearly destroying the entire world. Pride is not our issue. Our issue is forgiveness."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"If I don't know it's because I have been kept in the dark. But hasn't there been enough death?"

The word 'death' hung like a curse between them, and she could see his fist balling at his side. Considering his usual lack of emoting, this meant he was probably furious. _Good._

\---

"If you desire diplomacy, Rosa, then maybe you should go to our allies and talk with them. We'll need their support."

Though he hadn't said it, she could almost hear the implied _and stay out of my way while the men sort this out._ Rosa nearly objected, but realized that if Kain wasn't going to listen to her opinion, maybe someone else would.

"Who are our allies, currently? I want to make sure we still have them."

"Eblan, Damcyan, Fabul.... the others are neutral or against us."

So few! Damcyan was closest, and Edward was such a calming voice... but that wouldn't be a help if this building war threatened to destroy Baron. When Cecil was still alive, they had seen that the citizens of Eblan had gotten their kingdom back without much incident. Despite the displacement, their losses had been fewer than a lot of others.

"Then I will go to Eblan. Immediately."

\---

Eblan felt much lighter now that it wasn't occupied. Still full of secrets and shadows, naturally, but the kind that most people kept. In comparison Baron almost felt like a tomb.

Rosa had always been able to handle official niceties; her mother had made sure that she knew her manners, even if she had always encouraged personal opinions to blossom on their own, if relegated to personal spaces. So it didn't surprise her when Edge had slipped her a paper  
during the more public diplomatic meeting with a location for a meeting.

"What the hell is going _on_ in your country?"

It also didn't surprise her that he was blunt and to the point.

"Why do you think I came to see you, and alone at that?"

She felt guilty that obviously things had gone out of control because she had been grieving. To some extent Rosa couldn't blame Kain for encouraging her to bury her head, on a personal level. But they were so much more than a marriage or a crumbling friendship; they were the  
power of a nation. And he had to recognize that he couldn't do it alone.

"How could you not know? I mean, you married him. You're the _Queen_."

Rosa sighed. "I wish I could say it was as simple as that."

Edge was still young, after all, despite his responsibility. But his expression softened. "You're coming to me for help, then?"

"I just want to know how much damage has been done and what we can do to fix it before even more is done. Edge, you have never been shy in expressing your opinion and Baron greatly needs an ally."

"Alright. I'll fill you in. And can I say as a friend this whole queen look isn't nearly as appealing as what you used to wear."

"Focus, Edge."

"If I must."

“How are we on such shaky terms with the world?”

“How are we on such shaky terms with the world?”

Edge started pacing then, he’d never been able to hold still. “Do you want the straight answer or the nice one?"

Rosa frowned at him. "I think I have had more than enough people sheltering me from things they think will shatter my delicate constitution."

Somewhere deep inside, she knew that perhaps she would always have this conversation with men, some more well-meaning than others. And that the last man who had listened to her protests fully wasn't coming back. But Rosa swallowed the lump in her throat and put her attentions back outside herself.

"Well Kain thought that an aggressive approach to those that believed Baron owed restitution was in order... after that incident, well, half of Mysidia got blown up. And actually, relations with Fabul are on shaky terms, as Kain took exception to Yang's form of well, _honor_."

But Edge went on, describing various skirmishes and incidents, which were much more numerous than she'd expected. She was fully aware that she and Cecil had inherited a mess of valid distrust and chaos. That their wedding had been mostly an excuse to get the leaders of all kingdoms together was a testament to that fact. Rosa's memory wasn't going to put a perfect gild on things that had happened then. There were mistakes.

But she was beginning to see that putting a man who had spent the better part of his time fighting himself on a mountain--only to come back in failure at that task--due to a sense of loyalty on the throne as the greatest mistake she had ever made. And Edge's reports were starting to blur together into this shadow in her mind.

"You still with me, Rosa?"

She tried to stand a little taller, like she always used to see Knights and Dragoons do. _To have power, you must believe it._

"I want to know what we can do to fix this, and whether or not you are with _me_ at least. I know I can't ask you to be with Baron, Kain, the memory of Cecil, or anything else. Are you?"

Edge did a little half bow. "The fact you're asking is enough for me. Just be aware that things may not end up tidy."

"I don't see how I can even have that illusion anymore."

\---

Even with Edge’s pledge of loyalty to her, Rosa knew she couldn’t depend on him. With Cecil it had been easy to just depend on him, and even Cid before that. But Cid had been spending all of his hours in the workshop, and he had cared for all three of them. It was hard to imagine what he was feeling about how Kain had been behaving since he'd come back.

If he had really come back. It had become increasingly apparent that the Kain she and Cecil had cared so much for was not the one who slept beside her at night. Even if he had come back it didn't change the fact she had only herself to rely on.

Rosa would give him a chance as a person, though, but she would no longer take chances with Baron.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about, love?"

"I wanted to ask you not to go on this attack. Mysidia has been through so much, Kain, as has Baron. We cannot act as the rulers of the entire world."

He smiled at her, which made her feel cold and warm at the same time. "I'm taking care of it. You have nothing to worry about. No one will ever harm you again."

"No, they won't. I know that now."

\---

There had always been a certain amount of respect given in all courts of the world to white mages; there were traditions in every culture, and nothing had been more important than the role of healer during all the various conflicts throughout the years. It was ironic, considering how much people had feared the magic at first. But the profession of healing was as old as the profession of killing. They were two sides of the same coin.

When Rosa had first started training as a girl she had thought it meant that her heart had to remain open, that her compassion remain foremost in her mind. But as Cecil had learned the weight of absolute obedience and Kain struggled with the weight of absolute ambition she had learned that the power of life just as often meant the power of death as well. There was no point in wasting energy on an revival that would only slow the fight.

What most impressed the Troians was that the Queen of Baron had come to them without apologies, without platitudes and pretty promises. She had only asked what price they desired. That she had come in mourning robes, the only bit of white a single paladin’s guantlet on her left wrist and her face veiled had let a seriousness to the proceedings.

“I cannot ask that we be allies, only that we exist in this world without constantly asking for each other’s blood. I would spill my own, if that would satisfy the hatred.”

_You can’t remove hatred and fear, no matter what you what I will always be there, and someday I will be all that’s left._

It would be foolish to give into every demand, there were limits. But the field had to be levelled, or the attempt made.

“What of the other kingdoms? Baron has a blood debt to all the others.”

“Maybe we can all agree on a price.”

She wondered what her husband would have thought, seeing her like this, or if the illusion of the pure white mage had been what was keeping him together. Rosa wondered if Cecil had been meant to die on that mountain, and the fact that they had wanted him to come back had been what had put things in such a state. That no one really appreciated a hero that lived.

But she never could understand the alien traditions and ways of Lunarians.

“Maybe we can.”

\---

“This is NOT what I thought you were going to do when I said I’d help you!”

She told Edge last, of course. Cid had understood, as had her mother, but Edge wouldn’t understand. The less notice she gave him, the less of a chance he would do something stupid.

“I have no regrets and this will end so many meaningless deaths. You opened up proper communication so that this could happen and I can’t thank you enough for that.”

He kicked at the ground, as if it would somehow alter the current reality to something more palatable. He faced the wall and seemed to practice a few responses before turning around to speak to her.

“I could just kill _him_ you know. Didn’t I promise I’d do that, years ago?”

She shook her head. “That would only remove part of the problem. You didn’t grow up in Baron, you wouldn’t understand the kinds of fairy stories we were told about loyalty and obligation and love. And how wrong they turned out to be for some of us, and how brief for others.”

“Why _you_.”

“Why _us?_ Because we’re a couple of pawns that thought they were king and queen. And as much as a part of me can never forgive him, I know that we have both been used in a game whose rules would never be revealed to us. Because for once I want to use myself as a bargain on _my_ terms.”

Edge opened his mouth to protest and she silenced it with her hand. “It’s a shame that it had to be the last thing I do, I know. Maybe if I’d realized sooner... no, I think I’ve always been more than a little unlucky. But the important thing is Baron can survive. Surely a king of Eblan can understand this?”

He let out a breath and took the hand that had been covering his mouth. “Royalty is perhaps the greatest curse that can be bestowed on a person. And the quickest way to over-write a person. I wish... that we had known more about each other as people, Rosa.”

Edge gave that hand a quick kiss and walked out. But decisions had been made and it was too late for her to regret anything now.

\---

When it came down to it, Kain also understood what was happening. They had both grown up in the kind of place where their own feelings were secondary to those of the kingdom. Though he would admit no failure, he accepted the ruling with nothing more than a momentary slump of his shoulders.

Rosa was resolute and did not cry when Yang sadly conducted the proceedings, as the other kingdoms had agreed that Fabul was best to handle sentencing. And she wondered if Edward was already going to compose a song about their tragic reign. He written such a lovely one for Cecil, after all. Though ‘war criminals’ didn’t make for lovely ballads.

As much as Cid and her mother understood _why_ they could not watch as they were brought out for the execution. And Edge had seen that Rydia was absent as well, but Rosa knew that she was probably watching somehow and that she was no longer afraid of fire.

Mysidia and Troia had devised the method of death, and she knew that it would be as painful as it was meant to be flashy. A couple of talented mages were notably absent; Mysidia’s rage wasn’t so bad as to involve those so young.

Kain took her hand. “I love you.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, readying herself for the smoke once the tinder caught. At least they had complied with her wish not to be bound.

“It was never really me that you loved.”

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I will eventually write FFIV fic in which no one dies.


End file.
